More people are interested in buying locally made products than ever before.
You can capitalize on many consumers’ return to local shopping by emphasizing that all components of your furniture are made in the United States, or in your town or area.
The same applies to handmade goods. Individuals who are tired of mass-produced goods are often the same people who are interested in buying locally.
Given this climate, it is a good time to start a handmade furniture business.

The small camper van sector of the RV industry checks all the right boxes. Small and nimble but with enough space to haul two to four people on weekend getaways, they are often an affordable and practical solution for anyone looking for a camper. And although many Americans pine after the Volkswagen California—which isn’t sold in the U.S.—and are excited by new vans like the Envy Recon, you don’t necessarily see a lot of innovation in this camper size. Love campers and trailers? Come join our new community group.

That’s because the standard pop-up roof, small kitchen area, and fold out bottom bed works so well. But at this year’s Düsseldorf Caravan Salon—the biggest and most innovative camper trade show in the world—the German conversion shop Kompanja came up with a truly unique idea: a movie theater.

Built on the Renault Trafic, the Kompanja van features a projector system that turns the pop-up roof into an indoor or outdoor movie theater. It’s a simple and nifty innovation that provides something you didn’t even know you wanted: The ability to watch a movie around the camp fire. The LF projector is mounted on magnets and the...

Watch movies from your bed or from the campfire

The small camper van sector of the RV industry checks all the right boxes. Small and nimble but with enough space to haul two to four people on weekend getaways, they are often an affordable and practical solution for anyone looking for a camper. And although many Americans pine after the Volkswagen California—which isn’t sold in the U.S.—and are excited by new vans like the Envy Recon, you don’t necessarily see a lot of innovation in this camper size. Love campers and trailers? Come join our new community group.

That’s because the standard pop-up roof, small kitchen area, and fold out bottom bed works so well. But at this year’s Düsseldorf Caravan Salon—the biggest and most innovative camper trade show in the world—the German conversion shop Kompanja came up with a truly unique idea: a movie theater.

Built on the Renault Trafic, the Kompanja van features a projector system that turns the pop-up roof into an indoor or outdoor movie theater. It’s a simple and nifty innovation that provides something you didn’t even know you wanted: The ability to watch a movie around the camp fire. The LF projector is mounted on magnets and the screen is dual-sided, so you can watch it from inside the roof bed or from outside the van on the front wall of the pop-up roof. The system costs about $1,690 extra as an add-on option.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kompanja (@kompanja) on Aug 23, 2018 at 12:54pm PDT

The van also has its furniture secured via floor rails which allows for seats to be added or removed from the van. This can be super helpful for van owners who need a daily driver with six seats, an empty cargo van to haul things, and a camper that can still sleep four people.

When it’s configured as a camper, the Kompanja uses two individual rear seats (not a bench) that create a living room when you swivel the front cabin seats around. A removable dining table is helpful for working and eating, and at night a double bed takes up the lower living area space at about 79 inches long. This bed also functions as what Kompanja calls a Bivouac Bed, stretching out above the tailgate of the van so you can sleep in the fresh air. Two other people can sleep in the rooftop area.

Courtesy of KompanjaA drop-down table and slide outs allow you to cook inside or out.

The kitchens are never that large in these smaller camper vans, so Kompanja puts the compact kitchen just inside the sliding door so that you can cook inside or out. It’s not much but it does the job with a refrigerator and single-burner stove, both of which can be accessed inside or outside the van thanks to slide-outs and a fold-down table. You also get the standard cabinets and storage compartments in the living area and trunk, although you’re never going to be able to haul as much gear as you can in the larger conversion vans.

The Kompanja camper starts at $49,000 for the base and a lengthy list of upgrade options. It’s currently only sold in Europe—just like a bunch of other really cool campers—but we love seeing how camper manufacturers and conversion companies around the world are innovating. The Kompanja certainly fits the bill.

Courtesy of KompanjaA spacious interior can sleep two people in the bottom bed and two people up top. Courtesy of KompanjaCabinets allow room for storage. Courtesy of KompanjaA rail system makes it easy to configure the van with different options.Courtesy of KompanjaStorage under the bed provides helpful space for gear. Courtesy of KompanjaRear slide outs make access less onerous.

Via: New Atlas

Watch movies from your bed or from the campfire

The small camper van sector of the RV industry checks all the right boxes. Small and nimble but with enough space to haul two to four people on weekend getaways, they are often an affordable and practical solution for anyone looking for a camper. And although many Americans pine after the Volkswagen California—which isn’t sold in the U.S.—and are excited by new vans like the Envy Recon, you don’t necessarily see a lot of innovation in this camper size. Love campers and trailers? Come join our new community group.

That’s because the standard pop-up roof, small kitchen area, and fold out bottom bed works so well. But at this year’s Düsseldorf Caravan Salon—the biggest and most innovative camper trade show in the world—the German conversion shop Kompanja came up with a truly unique idea: a movie theater.

Built on the Renault Trafic, the Kompanja van features a projector system that turns the pop-up roof into an indoor or outdoor movie theater. It’s a simple and nifty innovation that provides something you didn’t even know you wanted: The ability to watch a movie around the camp fire. The LF projector is mounted on magnets and the screen is dual-sided, so you can watch it from inside the roof bed or from outside the van on the front wall of the pop-up roof. The system costs about $1,690 extra as an add-on option.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kompanja (@kompanja) on Aug 23, 2018 at 12:54pm PDT

The van also has its furniture secured via floor rails which allows for seats to be added or removed from the van. This can be super helpful for van owners who need a daily driver with six seats, an empty cargo van to haul things, and a camper that can still sleep four people.

When it’s configured as a camper, the Kompanja uses two individual rear seats (not a bench) that create a living room when you swivel the front cabin seats around. A removable dining table is helpful for working and eating, and at night a double bed takes up the lower living area space at about 79 inches long. This bed also functions as what Kompanja calls a Bivouac Bed, stretching out above the tailgate of the van so you can sleep in the fresh air. Two other people can sleep in the rooftop area.

Courtesy of KompanjaA drop-down table and slide outs allow you to cook inside or out.

The kitchens are never that large in these smaller camper vans, so Kompanja puts the compact kitchen just inside the sliding door so that you can cook inside or out. It’s not much but it does the job with a refrigerator and single-burner stove, both of which can be accessed inside or outside the van thanks to slide-outs and a fold-down table. You also get the standard cabinets and storage compartments in the living area and trunk, although you’re never going to be able to haul as much gear as you can in the larger conversion vans.

The Kompanja camper starts at $49,000 for the base and a lengthy list of upgrade options. It’s currently only sold in Europe—just like a bunch of other really cool campers—but we love seeing how camper manufacturers and conversion companies around the world are innovating. The Kompanja certainly fits the bill.

Courtesy of KompanjaA spacious interior can sleep two people in the bottom bed and two people up top. Courtesy of KompanjaCabinets allow room for storage. Courtesy of KompanjaA rail system makes it easy to configure the van with different options.Courtesy of KompanjaStorage under the bed provides helpful space for gear. Courtesy of KompanjaRear slide outs make access less onerous.

Give your business a name. Name your business something that indicates what you sell. This will come in handy later on, when you are marketing your business and want people to associate your business name with handmade furniture.

File a DBA, which stands for “doing business as,” at your local county clerk’s office. You may want to do a search to ensure that no other business in your town is operating under the same name. If you live in a large metropolitan area, a search is a necessity.

Create a line of furniture. You’ll need to have models of each piece of furniture that you intend to sell, so that customers can easily visualize what you have to offer. Add to your furniture line each year so that your stock stays fresh and on-trend.